If you know of a way to help save our planet, even just a small part of it put it here. Also if you want to ask how to help, or even if you want to promote your environmental organisation. All goes here.

I don't normally carry one here in France, just some ID and money. As we are off back to the UK shortly I thought I would sort mine out and I'm horrified at the rubbish we carry about!

In mine (quite a small bag, deliberately) I found:

My passport (the loss of which inspired the search)Keys for our UK houseAutan bug sprayMy watchLittle stash of unidentifiable and slightly fluffy tabletsPot of VaselineMini pack of moist toilet tissues (essential in France - why were they hidden in the handbag?)Sachets of sugar (I don't take sugar)Sachet of ketchup (ditto)Various loose coins (euros and sterling)Steel ruleMini screwdriver toolkitTorchChequebook (I wondered where that had gone)Pair of scissorsIndelible markerGel penPencilNailfileHair clips and pinsAn afro comb (no idea where that came from!)Various pointless receipts and bits of paper/envelopes

I'm dreading being back in the UK and getting back into the habit of hauling that lot around. Why on earth do we do it?

I don't think I dare answer this one! The usual list consistis of:Tissues - used and unused (yuck!)receipts vaselinescrewsgromitsrawl plugsdental flosspennote bookmore tissuestomato ketchup sachetsa loose coin or twospoonpursebits of papercereal barhair bobblecrystalworry dolllucky charm thingy that the kids gave mekeysBookLavender oilobscure gritty stuffthe list is endless! On the up side while I was in france with the school choir it became known as the magic hand bag because I could manage to produce exactly what the child needed when they needed it! It's no wonder it takes me half an hour to find anything in there tho!

Let us be lovely
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But damn it how happy we'll be!
Edward Monkton

Member of the Ish Weight Loss Club since 10/1/11 Started at 12st 8 and have lost 8lb so far!

Mine has passport (must carry it by law here), various bank, credit and medical cards various bits of paper confirming various medical affiliations (necessary in France)carte de sejour (albeit way out of date) keysmirrormaglite torchmake up bag not containing make up but things like painkillers and antihistamines, tampons, nail file, sinex, lipsalve etcPurseDiarymobile phonebirotissuessunglassesthe odd sweet or chocolate you get here every time you order a cup of coffee in a cafefew odd receipts Milim's grit

I cannot go anywhere without my handbag; it is about as essential as my right arm.

I can't be bothered with handbags. I put my purse in a coat pocket that has a zip on and off I go. In summer, when I don't wear a coat I don't take my purse and just take the money and cards, distributed around various pockets of my jeans.

If it doesn't fit in my pocket it doesn't go out with me, I've never carried a handbag, I'm not a girlie handbag kind of girl, they're totally lost on me but then I always had my biker jacket on and it always has lots of pockets.

Nowadays as I can't fit in my jacket I stick my inhaler and whatever else in my OH's army jacket which has lots of tardis pockets!

Sometimes: a crochet hook and a ball of thread, or small skein of yarna small book

(I recently switched handbags, so this one is smaller and cleaner.)

I picked up a nice little handbag at a thrift shop. Tad smaller than I've carried the last few years. I liked the leather, and the way it looked, for the price.

Purposefully, bought smaller, and one that I could hold securely with it over one shoulder. It sits above my waist. I can keep my hand on the zipper closures when walking around, if I need to.

When I lived in Europe, I used a small belly pack for the things I needed to have at hand. I carried a backpack for carrying things to and fro.

Quite a few stores here do not allow backpacks carried into the store, so that's a consideration. I drive a car, rather than using public transportation, so all that paraphernalia that was in my backpack, is now in my car.

No 1 was my Mum's old one I used for playing shops as a toddler, which I filled with soil & planted dandelion seeds in!!! (Shades of things to come?)

No 2 was a posh Aunt's 21st pressy to me as she was sick of seeing me with a ruck sack, I sold it!

No 3 is the only one I've ever bought and it cost me £1 from a charity shop, because we were going to a wedding & I couldn't take a ruck sack or stuff my essentials (inhaler, mobile, mints and cash) into non existant pockets of girlie dress.

All stored in a huge Cath Kidston oilcloth tote - durable and practical - not only do I have the contents of a mummy bag, I've also started to purchase them with the fact that I am a mummy in mind! Perhaps I shall treat myself to sequinned mini clutch on her 18th birthday

Diary with my passport tucked in the backcream for my footbeanie hatpurfumepurseset of keys to my mums house, which also includes a key to hubby's nans (they live in the same village)compact mirrorheadphones for my ipod (which is in the car)receipt for lino we brought yesterdayinhaleriron tabletsstrawberry lipbalmsilver penlipstickhouse keystote bag

my mobile tends to be in my pocket as it takes too long to find if it's in my bag.